The European Commission said it has sent letters of formal notice to Bulgaria urging it to enforce European rules on charging for waste management according to the pollution-pays principle and to apply EU standards to the security and format for issuing identity cards and residence documents.
In addition, the Commission has progressed existing infringement proceedings against Bulgaria in five other cases, which relate to directives on public procurement and concessions, the European Arrest Warrant cross-border judicial procedure, the accessibility of products and services for persons with disabilities, the posting of drivers, and to regular roadworthiness tests for motor vehicles and their trailers, the EU executive said in a press release on Friday after its July round of infringement decisions.
The Commission has sent letters of formal notice to Bulgaria in the two new cases, giving it two months to address the presented concerns.
In terms of charging for waste management, Bulgarian citizens and businesses pay waste management fees based on the tax value of the property, without accounting for relevant parameters such as the quantity of household waste, the Commission found.
“Although Bulgaria amended its legislation to address the issue, the application of the provisions kept being postponed each year since 2015,” the Commission said.
The second new infringement case deals with the issuance in Bulgaria of identity cards and residence documents to EU citizens and residence cards to non-EU family members, all of which were found not to comply with an EU regulation that entered into force in August 2021.
In the five other cases, the Commission has sent reasoned opinions to Bulgaria. The country again has two months to address the relevant concerns, otherwise the EU executive will refer the matters to the European Court of Justice, it said.
Source: See News
